1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pointer instrument having two instrument mechanisms which are arranged independently of one another on a printed circuit board, each of the pointer instruments acting on a respective one of two pointers, and the two pointers having essentially concentric pivoting axes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To allow an instrument panel to simultaneously inform an operator of two or more operating states of a motor vehicle such as, by way of example, speed of the motor vehicle, engine speed, oil pressure, oil temperature, water temperature, vehicle power supply system voltage, and fuel tank contents, a large number of pointer instruments are required which use a very large amount of space. Furthermore, the use of a large number of multiple pointer instruments may restrict clarity if the instruments are arranged alongside one another. Pointer instruments with double pointers are therefore already known, for example from DE 39 06 721 A1 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,917, in which instrument mechanisms which operate independently of one another act on pointers which are arranged concentrically with respect to one another. In the known embodiments, the instrument mechanisms which act on the pointers are arranged alongside one another on a printed circuit board. This arrangement requires that a specific transmission must be provided at least between an instrument mechanism and its associated pointer to transmit the actuating movement. This additional transmission includes a wheel mechanism and considerably increases the distance between the dial plane and the printed circuit board relative to the normal distance in pointer instruments with only one pointer. If an arrangement at the same height level or virtually at the same height level is desirable in an instrument panel, each of the corresponding instrument mechanisms must be located with a separate rigid printed circuit board, which is arranged on a plane which is located parallel and at the rear of the main printed circuit board. This arrangement adds further complexity to the already complex design which increases the manufacturing costs of the instrument panel and/or restricts the design freedom.